08 Sep 10 Should You Write Free Sample Articles for a Client?

Quite often in the beginning of your writing career you will encounter a client who will ask you to write a sample for him for free on his chosen topic before he could make his mind about your suitability to his work. Such requests put a beginner freelance writer in a fix.

The freelance writer gets confused whether he should write a free sample or not. He knows that refusing to write a free sample will mean losing the client, and writing a free sample may result in client’s disappearance, which is not unheard of in the business. Many clients, under the disguise of asking for free samples to evaluate the candidacy for a fictional big project, just take samples from various freelance writers and disappear.

The question is what should a freelance writer do, in situation like that?

There is not one single answer to this. You may or may not write a free sample. It all depends on you and kind of sample being asked to write. I cannot tell you that you should write or not, but I can tell you about the process I go through when deciding on whether to comply with the wish of getting a free sample or not.

Client authenticity checklist

Indeed, you need check the person’s authenticity before saying yes or no to his wish to have a free sample, and you can do this by doing the following things, at least I do these things:

Run a Google search with the client’s name, nickname along with the words like scam, cheat, fraud, scammer, etc., one at a time. This is done to find whether there is any reported fraudulent activity related to him. If he has done anything mischievous to people or service providers, you may find something. Well, this does not happen always, but most of the time, you will get what you are looking for.
I check the reviews and rating of a client, if I have been approached by him through a freelance exchange websites or forums. If there is enough positive reviews about a client then I think favorably of his request
Is the client giving me too rosy a picture to be true? A cheater will often show you a grand, often unrealistic, view of the future, in case you get the work, for which you will have to submit a free sample custom written on topic given by him. I stay away from such bait.
I never write a sample, if a client asks for a sample of 500+ words. From my experience I can say that such demands often come from clients with dubious intentions. I often offer to write a sample of not more than 250 words, and occasionally 300 words.

These are steps I run a client through before accepting or rejecting his offer. I think this will work for you. At least you should try this strategy, if you do not have any. Something is always better than having an absolute zilch.

Tags: Authenticity, Candidacy, Disappearance, Disguise, Exchange Websites, Fraud, Fraudulent Activity, Free Articles, Free Sample, Free Samples, Freelance Writer, Freelance Writers, Google, Google Search, Nickname, Sample Articles, Scammer, Service Providers, Suitability

Filed in Writing with 0 Comments

06 Feb 10 A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – VII

You have tried everything from being cool to begin smart to playing your age to hiding it. You even tried offering discounts and accepting cuts, but have you tried your connections?

Yes, I am taking about connections. Personal connections. If you do not believe it works then come over and see what I have to show to you. In this article, you will see how connection plays a role in getting you the job you deserve, and almost the pay you deserve—well, almost because you may have to give in for pay cut. So, let’s get started.

Give everything

Are you wondering how this topic made it connection part of the series? Well, it shouldn’t but I am mentioning it near the top of this post because giving your 100% is required. It is not an option, not anymore; you have to do it. Give everything you got to convince employer of your eligibility, and your connections of your suitability for the job you are asking recommendation. Do not hold anything back.

Use your personal connection

Back in your youth when you were working, you worked with many individuals: you worked for some people, you worked with some people, and some people worked for you. If you are not D.B. Ross who intimidated everyone working with him, I am pretty darn sure that you got some connections that are still in the business. Ask them for help. They certainly will help you out. You can even ask people whom you knew but never worked with for leads and job interviews. It will go a long way.

Talk to your ex-employers

Ex-employers are the people whom you worked for in the heyday of your career. These people knew you will go places, and these people will understand that you have lost a job not because of your ability—because they have witnessed your work themselves—but because of something else. They will pop their hands out and pull you onboard. They will do it even if you were not such an extraordinary employee. They will do it just because they have known you for so many years, and they believe that you will not let them down.

These three tips will play a critical role in getting you the job you need.

Tags: Career, Heyday, Job Guide, Job Help, Job Interviews, Job Search, Leads, Lost, Personal Connection, Personal Connections, Plays, Ross, Search People, Smart, Suitability

Filed in Career Management with 0 Comments